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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Amazing Rainbows

The Rainbow Bridge connects realities through the frequencies of light and color.

This is a photo of Tibetan Buddhist monk, the Ven. K. C. Ayang Rinpoche, blessing the deer in Kyoto's Nara Park, July 26th, 1985 (year of the buffalo). He only asked once for a photo of him to be taken, saying, "Take a photo now!" No one saw the rainbow until the print was developed. Rinpoche, on seeing the photograph, said he felt that his prayer blessing of the deer had been answered by the Buddha Amitabha at the very moment the photo was taken, when he had made contact with the deer, and that the power of His blessing appeared in rainbow form.

Spectacular Spectrums: Amazing Rainbows

By Steve in 7 Wonders Series, Nature & Ecosystems, Science & Research

Gloriously hued and ephemeral in nature, rainbows are one of the most beautiful sights the skies have to offer. They come in a wide variety of shapes, styles, sizes and yes, even colors. These ten amazing arcs show what happens when Mother Nature gets out her paintbox.

Classic Rainbows

(image via: Rock The Seesaw)

Most everyone has seen a classic, garden-variety rainbow – sometimes in their gardens while watering their plants with a misting spray.

Natural rainbows are made up of 6 colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. The intensity of each color may vary due to atmospheric conditions and the time of day (more on that later).

Circular Rainbows

(images via: Dot Photo and Getty Images)

The rainbows most of see are actually arcs of perfect circles (with radii of exactly 42 degrees, according to Descartes), though viewing a complete rainbow is difficult as the ground has a habit of getting in the way.

(image via: Neatorama)

The advent of powered flight and aerial photography has enabled the magnificence of circular rainbows to be revealed to an awestruck public. Of course, if an airplane isn’t available a really high mountainwill do.

Secondary Rainbows

Primary rainbows are often accompanied by secondary rainbows that are usually thinner and dimmer than the main rainbow. Here’s a bit of trivia that may come in handy at parties or around the water cooler: the area between primary and secondary rainbows that appears darker than the surrounding sky is called “Alexander’s Band”.

(image via: CuriousLee)

Secondary rainbows are remarkable for one particular characteristic: they display the spectrum in reverse order from that of a primary rainbow. It’s not something most people are familiar with, as is seen in the photoshop rendering above. Though sketched from the artist’s memory of an actual event, the repeated structure of both rainbows shows that it’s not an accurate portrayal.

Red Rainbows

(images via: Mark Kilner, Unexplained Mysteries and Earth Science)

Red rainbows are usually seen at sunrise or sunset when the thickness of the earth’s atmosphere filters out blue light leaving more red or orange light for water droplets to reflect and refract. The result is a rainbow with the more reddish end of the spectrum greatly enhanced.

Sundogs

(images via: The Weather Doctor, Kan Ahaw and W7ftt)

Sundogs are not rainbows per se, but share many of their visible attributes. Most commonly seen low in the sky on a bright winter’s day, sundogs are created when sunlight shines through ice crystals high in the atmosphere. Sundogs are red on the inside and violet on the outside with the rest of the spectrum crammed in between. The thicker the concentration of ice crystals in the air, the more defined the structure of a sundog and its associated arcs becomes.

(image via: G.Dargaud)

Moonlight can be acted on by ice crystals to form – you guessed it – “moondogs”. The image above was taken in Antarctica where, due to frigid air temperatures and blowing snow, sundogs and moondogs are extremely common.

Fogbows

(image via: WWU Planetarium)

Fogbows are much rarer than rainbows because certain narrow parameters must align to create them. For one, the light source must be behind the observer and low to the ground. Also, any fog to the rear of the observer must be very thin so that sunlight can shine through to the thicker fog in front.

Many fogbows display paler colors compared to rainbows and some are mainly white. This is due to the fog being composed of exceedingly fine water droplets.

Waterfall Rainbows

(images via: Environmental Graffiti and Canada Photos)

Waterfalls kick a constant stream of mist into the air and the atmospheric saturation goes on constantly, regardless of the weather. This makes waterfalls excellent photographic companions to rainbows! The above selection of images pairs some of the world’s most famous waterfalls with some equally stunning rainbows.

(image via: Schools Wikipedia)

A variation of waterfall rainbows are “spray bows”, formed on sunny days when wind kicks up ocean or lake waves and the air becomes saturated with mist and moisture.

Fire Rainbows

(images via: ABC3340weather, Sujathafan and Crystalinks)

Fire rainbows are not actually rainbows and have no connection with fires. The true name for this exquisitely beautiful optical effect is “circumhorizontal arc”.

(image via: Opacity)

The phenomenon can only be viewed under certain precise conditions: the cirrus clouds that act as prisms must be at least 20,000 feet high and the sun must strike them when it is at an elevation of 58 to 68 degrees. Fire rainbows are never seen at locations situated more than 55 degrees north or south.

Moonbows

(images via: COLOURlovers)

Moonbows, like moondogs, are the lunar counterpart to rainbows. They’re also much more difficult to witness due to the requirement of a passing rainstorm and, ideally, a bright full moon unblocked by clouds.

(image via: Night Sky Hunter)

In the spectacular image above, the photographer used a 30-second exposure at 4:34am in the morning, the moon being nearly full. The bright star under the moonbow is the orange supergiant Arcturus.

(image via: Kansasphoto)

Truly rainbows have earned their reputation for being the crowning touch for any scene of natural beauty. Like snowflakes, every rainbow is unique and one-of-a-kind… and somewhat sadly, all too temporary. Perhaps the true pot of gold is to be found not at the end of the rainbow, but by having the privilege to view one from the beginning.

thank you http://webecoist.com/2009/12/22/spectacular-spectrums-10-amazing-rainbows/

Laughing Mother of all Mothers comes to shine, upon the heart of a dime (circle embraced by calling home), we the children learn on time. There is music in her words, when you treat her like you should. And a big laughter will come your way, to learn how to really play. Lift up the sounds of love, to bring us nearer than above, (a sky, higher into heaven we know why).

Lean on the portal of the sun (brotherhood), that we need the point of doves, gather my children and learn to run, over rolling hills and into the sun. Gift your heart this day, because it's always a way to play. And if we need a home all we got to do is phone (prayers in the wind). Mother of all Mothers sing, to bring in the heart of the wind. And we are to learn to find a place, where we can be an open face. Shame and lame do not belong, because each has it's song (perfection in all songs). Keep a hanger (stuck on the ground, spirit not in flight, yet a safe place to land) you need within, the place we think we need to sin (behind closed doors). But if you learn to bow and pray, it's perfect magic in a day, bless bless, a place in time, we go heaven (blue road) inside this time. Spirit flies into the world, upon the shore to open doors (into each others hearts, a safe place within the true blue).

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Rainbow Warriors of Prophecy, Learn how purify the Soul Longing for Freedom. We the Elders Await Your Return to the Four Sacred Directions Written Across Our Hearts. Aho, may your spirit fly!
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